This invention relates to a shaped container for packaging, storing, transporting and distributing various substances, in particular, liquid chemicals, oils and other fluids, such as beverages, cosmetics and medications, as well as other materials such as pastes, powders, tablets or granulated substances and, more particularly, to a shaped-container of the type having a main body with a recessed surface and an elongated pouring nozzle, spout or neck which when mated with another such shaped container is specifically designed to form a differing, compact, new combination structure and which achieves the principal benefits and advantages of this invention when mated with such other unit.
There are many container applications which require the use of a significant neck or spout to facilitate a directed discharge of the contents of the container. Many motor oil producers, for example, have recently adopted a plastic, cylindrical container (see U.S. Pat. No. Des. 255,544) having a funnel-shaped spout in lieu of the traditional, quart-size metal or composite canister previously used in the sale of motor oil to the automotive user market. The funnel-shaped spout provides an integral mechanism for pouring oil directly into the oil fill opening of a car without, at least in some cases, the need to use a funnel or hose or both.
Quart size, cylindrical oil cans and cylindrical containers with funnel-shaped spouts are typically packed in fiberboard cartons. Neither type of these containers lends itself to re-orientation within a carton, as a rectangularly prismatic form, to increase packing economies.
Even where an elongated neck is not essential, containers are often designed with a long neck due to aesthetic considerations or the functional versatility which is achieved.
However, containers which have a funnel-shaped spout, as well as other container designs which depart from overall configurations in the form of the basic geometric shapes of squares, rectangles and cubes, lead to a packaging inefficiency that contributes to a higher product sales price and, ultimately, waste.
Various container configurations have been disclosed which are designed to stack or interfit and thereby improve utilization of packaging space. U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,268, for example, discloses a container of prismatic form. The container has a lateral face which is stepped so that projecting and recessed face zones of two containers can be interengaged to provide better utilization of space in stacking and storage. Other types of laterally interlocking containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,994,408 and 4,165,812. The lateral interlocking of containers, however, does not resolve the packaging inefficiencies which occur where a elongated spout is provided at the top of the container.
A longitudinally-stackable, block-type container, in which the neck of one container fits into the recess of another container, is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,248. Basically, the block containers of this patent contain a bottom wall with a central recess having a depth designed to closely receive the neck section of a similar container. In the illustrated embodiments, the neck section is relatively short in relation to the main body of the container. Although a substantial savings in space is achieved, it is clear that the inefficiencies of the prior art designs are not resolved in relation to the space surrounding the neck of the upper units if such are stacked in a generally rectangular carton. In fact, the disadvantages of the prior art are readily evident as the length of the neck is increased. Other types of longitudinally stackable containers are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,369,688 and 3,391,824.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,162, a container vessel is provided that has an elongated spout which can be folded for storage and transport. The plastic vessel comprises a hollow body for containing a quantity of fluid and an elongated pouring spout connected to the body via a corrugated portion which is bendable or flexes between a pouring position and a storage recess along the side of the hollow body. The bending of the spout into the recess does not necessarily maximize spatial economy and subjects the wall to material fatigue stresses which may eventually lead to a break and the release of the container's contents. In addition, the flexing feature discourages unattended emptying of container contents, for example, as may be the case in pouring motor oil into an oil fill opening of an automobile.